The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Author: Editor

  • Sharia council urges Governors to create ranches before banning open grazing

     

    The Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria on Thursday urged the South-West governors to consider the creation of ranches before banning open grazing.

     

    The group also said asking Fulani herdsmen to stop grazing their animal without providing alternative in ranches would be disastrous.

     

    Addressing newsmen in Osogbo, the Vice President of the group, Sheikh Abdur’rasheed Hadiyatullahi, also said profiling all Fulani as criminals would be unfair to the decent ones among the tribe.

     

    He said, “If you ban open grazing and you don’t create ranch, it is going to be disastrous. You can say animals should not be moving around and destroying crops, but give then ranches.

     

    “Let them settle down and do their business. Ban open grazing and provide ranches. Akeredolu has not told Fulani herdsmen to leave. He only asked them to vacate forest reserve. But let the governors create ranch for the herders.”

     

    On eviction of some Fulani herders from Igangan, Oyo state, Hadiyatullahi said, “To a find way out of these herdsmen, host community conflicts, we call for dialogue and wider consultation. The Igangan incident must be condemned by all lovers of peace. But at the same time, we cannot close our eyes to the pain and suffering of farmers and indigenes of the area who criminals see as soft targets for kidnapping, armed robbery.”

     

    ‘Cattle rearing’s private business’

    Meanwhile, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Mr Akin Omole, said on Thursday that those in the business of cattle rearing in the state were at liberty to create their cattle ranches.

     

    Omole, who said cattle rearing was the private business of individuals, said, “If government wants to support farming, be it crop production or those in the field of animal production, the government will determine the way and manner it wants to go about it.

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Farmers in Ondo state cries out over alleged invasion of their farms by some herdsmen

     

     

    Some farmers in Obasooto community in the Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State on Thursday cried out over the alleged invasion of their farms by some herdsmen.

     

    The incident happened three days after the national leadership of  Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria  agreed to the terms of the Ondo State Government to stop night grazing,   open grazing ,as well as movement of cattle within cities and highways in the state.

     

     

    The affected farmers said they arrived at their farms and saw the havoc wreaked on their farms by the herders during the night.

     

    They lamented that millions of naira invested on the farms had gone in one night due to the attack of the herdsmen.

     

    One of the farmers, Mr Friday Ayaghi, alleged that his cassava plantation were eaten up and destroyed by the cows of the herders.

     

    Ayaghi lamented that feeding his family would become a challenge following the destruction of the farm. He said he planned to use the proceeds of the destroyed cassava to pay his children’s school fees.

     

     

    Another victim, Pa Olatuja Idowu, said the herders allegedly destroyed his cassava, pineapples and cocoyam plantations which belonged to him and his wife.

     

    The physically challenged octogenarian said, “The herdsmen first attacked my wife’s farm about 10 days ago and came back again to destroy my own farm and the rest of my wife’s farm.”

     

    Another farmer in the village, Mrs Sarah Akingbesote, lamented that over 600 heaps of cocoyam were eaten up by the cows which were led into her farm by the herdsmen.

     

     

     

     

    In a reaction,  the Commander of Amotekun in the state, Adetunji Adeleye, who confirmed the incident said operatives of the corps had been deployed in the affected farms to ascertain the level of the destruction as well as quantify the damage done.

     

    Adeleye also stated that the state chairman of MACBAN had been invited towards identifying and arresting the herders that perpetrated the act.

     

    The state chairman of MACBAN Alhaji Garba Bello, said those herders that destroyed the farms would pay for whatever they destroyed.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Crude Oil: NNPC sales of petroleum products increases by 92% in October 2020

     

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced that its downstream subsidiary, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), recorded a total of ₦158.04 billion from the sales of white products in the month of October 2020.

    The Corporation disclosed this on its October Monthly and Financial Operation Report (MFOR) in Abuja, on Thursday.

     

    It said the amount represented 92 per cent increase over the ₦80.15 billion sales in September 2020.

     

    The report indicated that total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period October 2019 to October 2020 stood at ₦1.95 trillion, with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) accounting for about 99.07 per cent of the total sales with a value of over ₦1. 9trillion.

     

    In terms of volume, the October 2020 sales figure translates to a total of 1.224.54 billion litres of white products sold and distributed by PPMC within the period compared with 603.39 million litres in the month of September 2020.

     

    This, it said, comprised 1.224.20 billion litres of PMS, 0.31 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) also known as diesel and 0.033 million litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK).

     

    “Total sales of white products for the period October 2019 to October 2020 stood at 16.462.50 billion litres and PMS accounted for 16.344.36 billion litres or 99.28 per cent,’’ it said.

     

    On pipeline vandalism, it noted that 23 pipeline points were vandalised in the month under review, representing about 10 per cent increase from the 21 points recorded in September 2020.

     

    “ Of this figure, Mosimi area accounted for 83% of the vandalised points, while Port Harcourt Area accounted for the remaining 17 per cent,’’ it said.

     

    In the Gas Sector, the report revealed that a total of 214.07 billion Cubic Feet (bcf) of natural gas was produced in the month October 2020, translating to an average daily production of 6,908.34 Million Standard Cubic Feet per Day (mmscfd).

     

    It noted that the daily average natural gas supply to power plants increased by 8.60 per cent to 745mmscfd, equivalent to power generation of 2,801 Megawatts.

     

    “For the period of October 2019 to October 2020, a total of 3,018 BCF of gas was produced, representing an average daily production of 7,658.88 mmscfd during the period,’’ it said .

     

    The MFOR also indicates that period-to-date gas production from Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and NPDC contributed about 68.18 per cent , 20.12 per cent and 11.70 per cent respectively to the total national gas production.

     

    It adds that in terms of natural gas off take, commercialisation and utilisation, out of the 208.96 BCF of gas supplied in October 2020, a total of 118.40 BCF of gas was commercialised, consisting of 38.07 BCF and 88.90 BCF for the domestic and export market respectively.

     

    This, it said, translated to a total supply of 1,269.03mmscfd of gas to the domestic market and 2,870.57mmscfd of gas supplied to the export market for the month.

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • Nigeria records her worst global rating on corruption, scores 149 out of 183 countries surveyed

     

    Nigeria has recorded her worst global rating on Corruption Perception Index since 2015.

    In the 2020 index released yesterday by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the country’s chapter of TI, Nigeria scored 25 out of 100 points, dropping to 149 out of the 183 countries surveyed, taking the nation three steps down from the 146 scored in 2019.

    In the report, Transparency International said the reason behind Nigeria’s worst ranking stemmed from an absence of transparency, nepotism, lack of adequate anti-corruption legal frameworks, the prevalence of bribery and extortion in the Nigerian Police and corruption in the security sector, among others

    Reacting, the presidency faulted TI’s report, saying Buhari’s administration deserves credit for diminishing corruption in the public service and will continue to vigorously support prevention, enforcement, public education and enlightenment activities of anti-corruption agencies.

    In a statement, yesterday, the presidency said TI’s report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on ground.

    “In the coming days, the Government’s Technical Unit on Governance Research (TUGAR) will be providing more detailed information on the sources of the TI data.

    While this is being awaited, the examination carried out on their 2019 report showed that 60 percent of their data was collected from businesses and other entities with issues bordering on transparency and the ease of doing business at the ports.

    “Although this is a government ready to learn from mistakes and make corrections, the economy of this country, in its fullness, is bigger than the sea ports we have.

    We are also not unaware of the characters behind the TI in Nigeria whose opposition to the Buhari administration is not hidden.

    “We have repeatedly challenged TI to provide indices and statistics of its own to justify its sensational and baseless rating on Nigeria and the fight against corruption. We expect them to come clean and desist from further rehashing of old tales.

    “A naira denominated review that excludes recoveries in dollars, pounds, euro shows that a sum of N1.2trillionn was recovered by EFCC between 2009 — 2019. N939billion of that total was recovered between 2015 – 2019 with less than N300billion recovered in the first six years.

    “Additionally, preventative instruments deployed by this administration such as Treasury Single Account (TSA), Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) coverage expansion and the removal of 54,000 ghost workers from federal civil service saving us N200bn annually serve as evidence that perception is not reality.

    “Organisations should be factual in their analysis and be prepared to rely on inputs outside of sensational media reports and age-old narratives which have not been updated to reflect today’s reality in Nigeria concerning its globally-respected war on corruption…”

    Meanwhile, anti-corruption crusaders in Nigeria have reacted to the 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report of the Transparency International (TI), which suggests that corruption is becoming more endemic in the country.

    Former Chairman, (TI), Nigeria chapter, Gen Ishola Williams (retd), said: “At all levels of government in Nigeria, from the president to the governors, we all know what the TI is saying is true. Check throughout the world, how many countries do you know that has made it a habit to gather every month to share money to the states and local government areas and no body asks what happened to all the money that is shared?

    “President Buhari has given up on his promise to fight fraud, embezzlement, corruption or whatever he calls it. He just admitted less than 48 hours ago that the APC finds it difficult to deliver on some of their programmes, and one of their major promises is to fight corruption. Go through the national dailies or check online any day, you see stories that will make you very sad. We don’t need the TI to tell us that corruption is still endemic in Nigeria. In fact, if TI knows the true reflection of things in Nigeria, we should be at the very bottom.”

    Executive Director, Centre for Anti Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, argued that the TI’s report is based on perceptions by the CPI, which may not necessarily reflect the truth.

    “The perception may not necessarily be the true reflection of the reality. From all indications, corruption crimes are no longer committed with brazenness as before. But, if the perception says corruption is on the rise, then where is the data and the facts and figures behind the perception? At our own level, we don’t have that data, what we suspect is that because more corruption cases are exposed and taken to court; there are now more information on how corruption is committed by who, when and how, that makes it easier for data hounds to easily get information from just anybody and make it seem as if there is more prevalence of corruption. Until the perception meets reality, we believe that the fight against corruption has taken a new dimension and that corruption crimes are more difficult to commit. We don’t have any data from TI to suggest that corruption is getting worse than before,” he said.

    Former President of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, noted that the federal government has a strategy on corruption, but said it needs more coordination in three important areas, namely, investigation, prosecution and assets recovery. He said that, crucially, the anti corruption strategy must be concerned with speed of justice, otherwise, its impact will be affected.

     

    Buhari administration, APC title holders in corruption- PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, said Nigeria’s rating in the 2020 corruption index report by Transparency International (TI) has confirmed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government is the most corrupt administration in the history of the country.

    The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: ”This descent into the abyss of corruption only goes to show that President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance is a mere swindle used to delude Nigerians, while the vaults were laid open for APC leaders and officials of the Buhari administration to plunder.

    “Indeed, the record of unbroken decline from 136th in 2016 to 144th in 2018, 146th in 2019 and now 149th in 2020, under President Buhari, the African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion’, settles the now notorious fact that the Buhari administration and the APC are title holders in corruption.

    “Nigerians can now see that what the APC and the Buhari Presidency did, upon assumption of office, was to simulate a holier than thou attitude, deploy the instrument of propaganda to deliberately castigate the PDP with false corruption allegations, just to divert public attention and create a safe atmosphere for APC leaders to loot our nation to her knees.

    “The fact remains that no matter how lies and falsehood try to prevail, the truth will always come to light at the end of the day.

    “From the oil and inland revenue sectors to security, health, agriculture, food security, healthcare, transportation, road infrastructure, power, education, environment, among other critical sectors, none was spared from the kleptomaniac fingers of corrupt APC leaders and the cabal in the Presidency.”

    The opposition party added: “Nigerians can now see that our alert on the allegation of the stealing of over N15 trillion by APC leaders and political cronies in the Presidency was not just an opposition propaganda, but a patriotic stance which the APC and its administration has not been able to counter.

    “The Buhari administration has failed to go after APC leaders and cronies allegedly involved in the stealing of over N9.6 trillion as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo, the over N3trillion in fraudulent oil subsidy regime as well as trillions stolen from agencies including, the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Social Investment Programme as revealed by First Lady, Aisha Buhari, the COVID-19 funds among a litany of frauds.

    “The financial rot in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the Buhari administration, including stealing of recovered funds, underscores the level of corruption under the APC.

    “It is equally appalling that the decay has reached a frightening situation where, under Mr. President’s watch, employment opportunities are sold to young boys and girls at alarming costs ranging between N1.5 and N5million.

    “Moreover, the Buhari Presidency has failed to open up on its yearly budget for Nigerians.

    “Now that the Buhari-led APC administration has been further exposed, our party charges Nigerians to join in the demand for the APC, as a party, to commence the processes of refunding the N15 trillion stolen by its leaders before exiting our political firmament in 2023.”

     

     

     

    President lacks competence to fight corruption –Yakassai

    Elder statesman, Tanko Yakassai, said TI’s ranking is an accurate reflection of the situation of the country and didn’t come as a surprise to him, but insisted that there isn’t likely to be any improvement because, according to him, President Buhari lacks the competence to fight corruption.

    “Most of what is happening now is what I had said in the past. Since the inception of this administration, how many people have been arrested and successfully prosecuted? I am not talking about cases that preceded the administration. The president campaigned saying that he would fight insecurity and corruption, but can we say that this government is actually fighting corruption? The ranking of Transparency International is a reflection of the situation in this country and it is unfortunate. The fact, however, remains that no matter what the Presidency says, Buhari has never had the competence or the capacity to fight corruption,” Yakassai said.

    Also reacting, the founder and former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chekwas Okorie, said: “I don’t think what the president is doing is enough because, if it is, we would not have this type of testimonial from Transparency International. Whether anyone likes to give credit to the opinion of TI or not, it is a wakeup call for the government. Even before this report came out, most Nigerians have been feeling the impact of widespread corruption, especially in areas that tend to hurt our economy like Customs, Immigration and the Police. In the issue of Immigration, many who are not supposed to be in the country are now being credited with insecurity. Anytime you hear of herdsmen killing, we are told that the Fulani herdsmen causing the problems are from neighbouring African countries like Niger; that is the failure of immigration.

    “When you go to Customs, it is the cesspool of corruption in Nigeria and that has affected our economy so badly. Even in the civil service, there is hardly anything you can do, without encountering one maleficence or the other. In the police, the situation is also the same. What caused the EndSARS protests which nearly shut down the country is a result of the corruption in the police and it hasn’t even stopped. It’s almost like no agency of government can stand out as being exemplary as being corrupt free.

    “I won’t put all the blame on the president because he has done well in ensuring that the economy didn’t collapse because he came in during extreme scarcity even though the situation hasn’t improved. But I want to go straight to the institutions that are not doing well, so that those who are heading them should be shown the way out just like the service chiefs we re sacked after much outcry,”Okorie said.

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Restructuring: Wole Soyinka urges the National Assembly to respond to restructuring calls

    Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday urged the National Assembly to listen to the calls for the restructuring of Nigeria and take responsibility towards the effect.

     

    Wole soyinka

    His call is in consonance with the Presidency which had repeatedly asked agitators for restructuring to channel their clamour to the National Assembly, being the representatives of the people.

     

    Such regional groups as the Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, its counterparts in Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, and the Middle-Belt Forum have been very vociferous in the call for the nation’s restructuring.

     

    They had often argued that the National Assembly was not better placed to restructure the country, since the 1999 constitution currently in operation and which the lawmakers are applying, was not written by the people but a select few.

     

    However, Soyinka, who spoke on AIT’s Kakaaki programme yesterday, said the National Assembly had the powers and moral authority to respond to the calls, if the Presidency was not doing so.

     

    He said: “The Presidency is saying it’s not my responsibility. On the other hand, the National Assembly keeps saying it wants the President to take action.

     

    ‘’When that happens, why doesn’t the National Assembly say ‘fine, we take this as our responsibility, we are obliged to the people who elected us here, the shout is heard, even by the deaf today that this nation must restructure, and if that has to be done through the constitution, we are now going to face this as one of our major tasks’ and then lead the Presidency on its own?

     

    “If the Presidency is not responding, then the National Assembly has the powers and the moral authority to respond to the desire of the populace.”

     

    On why the National Assembly has been reluctant to take up the leadership opportunity, Soyinka said: “Very often, they are struggling for those various committees where I think all the goodies are shared, so they are compromised.

     

    ‘’But when I speak about this, I’m not speaking about the entirety. But unfortunately, there are those who are purely for their own interest and who make compromises with the Executives simply because they want to fulfil’ their own personal interest.”

     

    Soyinka also said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the steam to fight corruption.

     

    He said so many people ought to be in prison if the government was serious about the fight against corruption.

     

    “There are so many people who should be in prison if this government had not run out of steam, and so the system is being manipulated.

     

    “There are cases where the prosecution had reached the level where evidence had been given on governors who had been stealing and depositing in bits and pieces so as not to flout a certain regulation.

     

    “I mean cases have been taken to that level and suddenly, silence. The EFCC, which I back solidly ever since the days of Nuhu Ribadu, in all kinds of ways, we no longer know the distinguishing from rights and left,’’ he said.

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • Kogi State law makers solicit for Yahaya Bello, press APC for political action.

     

    Ahead of 2023 polls, Kogi State lawmakers paid a visit to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Wednesday, to lobby All Progressives Congress (APC) House members on behalf of Governor Yahaya Bello to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.

     

    The lawmakers said that it was time states in the North Central unite and work with the sole aim for the zone to produce the next president.

     

    The high-powered delegation led by the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Prince Matthew Kolawole, made the call when they paid an advocacy visit to the Kwara State House of Assembly, Ilorin.

     

    The Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Engr Yakubu Danladi Salihu, said the agitation for power shift to North Central was a laudable move, recalling that the zone had yet to take shot as either President or Vice President since the nation’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

     

    However, the Kogi Speaker told his host that the mobilisation drive for Governor Yahaya Bello to emerge as next president was due to some attributes in him as well as his contributions to the development of Kogi State and the nation since his election as governor.

     

    Kolawole noted that Governor Bello had succeeded in addressing insecurity climate in the state, which was prevalent prior to his emergence.

     

    He urged other zones in the country to concede the presidential ticket of the APC to Kogi Governor, saying that the nation would be in safe hand if Governor Bello is given the opportunity.

     

    ‘We are here to notify you about the plan ahead as regard 2023 election. We are here on behalf of Governor Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. We want to thank him for the good relationship we have built together in the Kogi State House of Assembly. Apart from the synergy that we have, in the House of Assembly, we have passed into law between 67 and 70 bills since he assumed office as governor. He has assented to all the bills.

     

    ‘Before now, Kogi State used to be a den of kidnappers, armed robbery and social vices. And people cannot move freely. Since our governor assumed office, the first thing he did was to demystify the camps of all the kidnappers and demolish the houses of well-known criminals in the society. I can tell you categorically that my state is 80 per cent free from kidnapping and armed robbery. We equally saw our governor as being a youth governor, while many in his government today are absolutely youths.

     

    ‘So, by the time we put all this together, we looked at his capacity, ability, charisma leadership effectiveness and control, we in the House of Assembly of Kogi State passed a vote of confidence on our governor and at the same time, we went further to ask him to contest for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

     

    ‘We didn’t just ask him to contest. We equally looked at the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Four had benefitted immensely in the leadership of this country in terms of President and Vice President. We realized that North Central and South-East were left out of this powerful political position (President). As a result of that, we asked our governor, maybe the youngest governor in Nigeria. Because of his effectiveness and leadership control and the role he has played in developing our party in Nigeria, we said our governor should contest for the President, which he has finally agreed to run for.

     

    ‘And we cannot do this alone in Kogi State. As a result of this, we decided to pay advocacy visits and talk to our colleagues, who will be delegates from different States in a future election. We are here to appeal to you to support our youthful and pragmatic governor, who has really contributed to the development of Kogi State and APC in Nigeria, to run for the office of President and for him to succeed. Above all, we are advocating from Kwara State House of Assembly to join Kogi State House of Assembly in this crusade of North Central to produce President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’ the Kogi Speaker said.

     

    Speaking during the visit, Salihu assured that Kwara would support the movement for North Central to produce the next president.

     

    The Speaker, who led the Deputy Speaker, Raphael Olanrewaju Adetiba and other lawmakers to receive the visiting team, applauded Kogi lawmakers for taking a bold step with the resolution for Governor Bello to vie for the presidential ticket of the APC.

     

    He said: ‘In North Central, we have not seen the key actors of the country, which include President and Vice President [from] 1999 to date. And agitating for this is a plus to North Central. By God’s grace, as we start this journey, we pray that it should be a journey that favours the North Central Zone.

     

    ‘Kogi State has taken a bold step with your resolution asking an aspirant to go and contest for an election. And for the aspirant accepting your resolution, it is a plus, and it has shown the cordial relationship you have with the executive.

     

    ‘Honorable colleagues, I will say Alhaji Yahaya Bello (Governor of Kogi State) is in our youth constituency, though a senior brother. We have to give maximum support to the youth constituency. This move you are doing is a very big task. We will support the North Central move and put it in prayer for us to succeed. It is time for us to come together for the movement to be a success.’

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • EFCC recovers N75m from ex minister’s wife

    An operative with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Bello Hamma-Adama, has told Justice Inyang Ekwo, of a Federal High Court in Abuja that a sum of N75m was recovered from Halima Turaki, wife of a former Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs.

     

    Tanimu Turaki was a former Minister for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs during the administration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan between 2013 and 2015.

     

    He also served as the Minister for the Federal Ministry of Labour between 2014 and 2015.

     

    Hamma-Adama, the fifth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Turaki, made the observations before Justice Ekwo on Wednesday.

     

    The EFCC had arraigned Turaki alongside his former Special Assistant, Sampson Okpetu, and two firms, Samtee Essentials Ltd and Pasco Investment Ltd, on a 16-count charge of money laundering.

     

    Although Turaki and Okpetu pleaded not guilty to the charges, the anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants used the companies to launder the fund totalling N845m taken from the two ministries where the ex-minister held sway under the Jonathan administration.

     

    While being led in evidence by the counsel to the EFCC, Mohammed Abubakar, the witness said about N359m was moved from the Ministry of Special Duties for a sensitisation project for the government.

     

    Hamma-Adama, who was the lead investigator in the agency, however, said the money was later transferred in tranches into private individuals’ accounts.

     

    Giving the breakdown, he said N45m was allegedly transferred to the ex-Minister’s brother, Abdullahi Maigwandu, through his Zenith Bank account.

     

    Out of the N45m, he said Maigwandu transferred N20m to the Guarantee Trust Bank account of Halima Tanimu Turaki, the ex-minister’s wife.

     

    According to the fifth prosecution witness, the sum of N20m was transferred to O-Pec Nig Ltd.

     

    He said the remaining N5m was withdrawn in China using the ATM of Maigwandu by Halima to procure furniture items.

     

    “The sum of N30m was transferred to Abubakar Sani Gude’s Zenith Bank account from the ministry’s account and the N30m was sent to the wife of the first defendant (Turaki),” he said.

     

    Hamma-Adama said when Maigwandu was invited for interrogation, he confessed that the money came from the ministry and he neither had any business with the ministry nor engaged in any sensitisation exercise.

     

    The witness said Maigwandu, a civil servant in Kebbi with a monthly salary of N33,000, also told the EFCC that the N45m was received by the ex-Minister’s wife.

     

    ‌

    “We called for the Maigwandu’s account statement in Zenith Bank. We discovered that he is a civil servant in Kebbi on a salary of about N33, 000.

     

    “We suspected a case of money laundering and we did a network analysis and we discovered that he could not have owned that money because he is on a N33, 000 salary”, Hamma-Adama said.

     

     

     

    He said Maigwandu told the investigators that every money in that account belonged to Turaki, except his salary.

     

    “He said he is a brother to the former minister and that the money was transferred on his instruction,” the EFCC operative added.

    Hamma-Adama hinted that as at the time the N45m was transferred to Maigwandu, he was having about N7,300 in his account.

     

    He said with all the information gathered, Halima was invited to their office.

     

    “She came alongside the first defendant (her husband) and a lawyer. On video, she mentioned that the transaction was done at her instance.

     

    “She said she was not a contractor with the Ministry of Special Duties and that she did not carry out any sensitisation exercise for the ministry. We ask if she knows Gode and Gwandu and she said she did. She said the transaction was her transaction and it was done on her instructions”, the witness said.

     

    Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter till February 9 and 10 for the continuation of the trial.

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • MASSOB tackles IGP Mohammed Adamu

     

    Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has tackled Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over his recent order for the arrest of Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho, because he gave quit notice to Fulani herdsmen in Oduduwa land.

     

    MASSOB, after its executive meeting, yesterday, viewed the directive by the police boss as unprofessional; an act of dictatorship, intimidation and violation of citizen’s right.

     

    The group wondered why the IGP failed to arrest the spokesperson of Arewa Youths Group, Mallam Abdulazeez Suleiman, when the Coalition of Arewa Youths gave the Igbo residing in Northern Nigeria notice to vacate the region.

     

    A communiqué by MASSOB’s National Director of Information, Edeson Samuel, accused Adamu, who is Fulani by tribe, of protecting, aiding and backing the criminal and terrorist Fulani herdsmen.

     

    The group stated: “The Fulani are deceiving themselves with the tendency and primitive beliefs that Nigeria belongs to their ancestors because President Muhammadu Buhari is the current president of Nigeria.

     

    “No section or region of this political entity called Nigeria has monopoly of power, violence or domination of others.

     

    “Nigeria does not belong to any section or tribe in Nigeria. The primitive belief and tendency of born to rule while others are slaves in Nigeria are no longer admissible.”

     

    Meanwhile, Adamu in Lagos yesterday vowed to arrest and bring to book those who burnt Igboho’s house.

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Orlu disturbances: We are determined to prevent our people from being victims of Nigeria’s circumstances – Ohanaeze

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, said it will resist attempts to make the Igbo victims of circumstances or violence in Nigeria.

     

    It noted with agony the recent disturbances in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State which resulted in loss of lives and properties as well as caused immense hardship to the citizens of Orlu Senatorial Zone and others.

     

    The apex Igbo organisation, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alex Ogbonnia, said:

     

    “The present administration of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is determined to prevent our people from being victims of Nigeria’s circumstances and history of violence which they did not create nor can they alone control. Ndigbo, as the President General said, are builders and not nation wreckers/destroyers.”

     

    The group, therefore, called on Orlu people to remain calm.

    “We want to appreciate the quick response of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, and all the Imo State security apparatus, who, with the cooperation of Federal Government authorities, contained and controlled this tragic event from escalating. The Imo state government’s quick action and decision on a dusk to dawn curfew and withdrawal of the army brought about relative peace to Orlu Zone and its environs.

     

    “We must recall that the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in his maiden press conference in Enugu on 20th day of January 2021, categorically stated that Ndigbo are not at war with Nigeria and had nothing pending before any institutional authority that demands a separate existence from Nigeria.

     

    “Ohanaeze Ndigbo advises the people of Orlu Zone to remain calm and law abiding. And for those of us who misinterpret our tragic history, the Late Chukwuemeka Odumegbu Ojukwu’s statement that ‘the bone shall rise’ did not mean ‘conflict, violence and war’ but, indeed, means that Ndigbo should continue with their history of being creative and constructive in their engagements with the rest of Nigeria.

     

    “There is absolutely no cause, no goal, no national objectives that Ndigbo can achieve or is worthy of further loss of lives of our youths and others both in Igboland and beyond. Ohanaeze Ndigbo feels strongly that we should and we must continue our struggle for justice, equity and fairness with emphasis on options that are more likely to achieve those objectives without making our people experience the kind of wanton destructions and loss of lives that Igboland has experienced in the past, the group said.

     

    In another development, Ohanaeze congratulated the newly appointed service chiefs.

     

    But, however, decried the continued exclusion of South East the the nation’s security council.

     

    President General of Ohanaeze, George Obiozor stated: “We, particularly, thank Mr. President for the appointment of Major General Lucky Irabor a tested General and a gentleman. However, Mr. President, one way of ensuring compliance with federal character provision of the Nigerian constitution is to observe the distribution of important and vital offices of the Federal Government in accordance with the zonal structure.

     

    “Mr. President, particularly, in the area of the security architecture of the country, the South East zone which was conspicuously absent in your first term has now again not been included so far in your recent appointment of service chiefs.

     

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo hopes and believes that Mr. President in continuation of appointments in this sector would consider the South East zone.”

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • Ondo State governor issues herdsmen vacation order to leave forest reserves in Ondo State

     

    Following the agreement reached by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and other stakeholders on vacation order issued to the herdsmen to leave the forest reserves in Ondo State, the government has said the herders have been moving out of the forest.

    Rotimi Akeredolu

     

    The governors and the MACBAN in the communique issued after their meeting on Monday agreed to support the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’ s order on ban on night grazing,  under-age grazing,  movement of cattle along the highway and within the cities and herdsmen moving out of the forest reserves.

     

    Speaking on the development on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters,  Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, said the herdsmen had been moving out of the forest reserves in compliance with the order of the governor.

     

    He said the government was waiting for the herdsmen to register, adding that many herders had indicated interest in the exercise.

     

    He said, “We have just started, I am sure they would come. The herders don’t have any alternative but to register and anyone who fails to register will not be allowed to operate in the state. The registration has to be total.”

     

    Also speaking, the Ondo State Chairman of MACBAN,  Alhaji Garuba Bello,  said the herders would begin to register any moment.

     

    “My people are ready to register; let the government go to the forest and monitor how the herdsmen are obeying the order, “ Bello said.

     

    MASSOB hails Akeredolu

    Meanwhile, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra on Tuesday applauded Akeredolu on the steps taken to preserve the lives and property on Ondo State.

     

    The pro-Biafra group in statement by its National Director Of Information, Comrade Edeson Samuel, said after their executive meeting, “MASSOB hails the Governor of Ondo state, His Excellency Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), on his eloquent and bold steps taken to preserve the lives and properties of his people.

     

    “MASSOB urge the South-East governors to emulate Akeredolu in order to save our people, especially the Governor of Enugu State because Nkanu, Awgu, Aninri and Isi Uzo local government areas are occupied by the Fulani terrorist and criminals called herdsmen.”

     

    Traditional worshipers seek inclusion

    Additionally, the Ondo State Assembly of Traditional Religion Worshippers on Tuesday called on Akeredolu to involve them in the fight against the activities of the killer herdsmen in the state and the South-West.

     

    The state Coordinator of the traditional worshipers, Chief Adewale Oso, who spoke with journalists in Akure, the state capital, said they had the spiritual support of the ancestors to collaborate with the government to chase out criminals in the state.

     

    He said, “Our traditions have powers to expose evil doers around us. If some people are killing and hiding, when authorities do the right thing, in the traditional way, they would be exposed.”

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Maize Growers Processing Marketer Association of Nigeria in Ekiti accuses some herdsmen of destroying a multi-million naira maize farm

    Kayode Fayemi

     

     

    The Maize Growers Processing Marketer Association of Nigeria on Tuesday accused some herdsmen of grazing their cattle indiscriminately, thereby destroying a multi-million naira maize farm alongAdo-Ijan Road in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

     

    MAGPAMAN Secretary in Ekiti, Mr Tope Emmanuel, lamented that the farmers sourced N60.8m from the Central Bank of Nigeria to cultivate the maize farms on about 235 hectares, adding that the projected profit was N410m.

    Emmanuel, who alleged that the herders had been terrorising the farmers said, “They invaded the farm at night with weapons and fed their cows with our plant. All efforts to stop them were rebuffed.

     

    “We are begging the state government to save us as our members are really in a difficult situation in view of the loan,” the farmer said.

     

    He said the police and the State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps) had been briefed on the incident.

    However, the Ekiti Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig-Gen Joe Komolafe (retd), said, “We are handling the situation.”

     

    Fayemi inaugurates farmer, herder panel

    Meanwhile, the state governor, Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday inaugurated a body, the Ekiti State Farmers-Herders Peace Committee’ to foster peaceful co-existence among the s ethnic nationalities in the state.

     

    Fayemi, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana (retd.), said herdsmen in the state would register with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and issued identification to separate genuine herders from criminal elements.

     

    The governor urged the committee to work with communities, traditional rulers and security agencies to ensure that farmers-herders clashes became things of the past in the state.

     

    “These leaders would be held responsible in case of any break down of law and order in such community,” he said.

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • 2023 Presidency: Moghalu declares his intentions to make a second run for the presidency

     

    A former presidential candidate, Kingsley Moghalu, says he’s making consultations on a second run for the presidency in 2023.

    Kingsley Moghalu

     

     

    As a candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) contested in the 2019 presidential election but won less than 22,000 votes.

     

    The 58-year-old promptly left the YPP and partisan politics to focus on electoral reform and voter education with a non-partisan platform called To Build A Nation (TBAN).

     

    Moghalu said in a statement on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 that he’s already thinking about running again in 2023 to give Nigeria a competent leader.

     

    “Will make my decision known when it’s final. And it won’t be 12 months to the election. Lessons learned.

     

    “Nigeria needs a modern leader for the 21st century. Someone New. Different. Bold,” he said.

     

    The political economist noted that an important criteria for choosing Nigeria’s next president should be competence.

     

    However, he also hinted that the regional rotation of the presidency should finally be allowed to favour a candidate from his south east region to promote inclusivity.

     

    “The key is to put competence first, and then look for it in a part of the country that has not been given the opportunity that has been given others,” he said.

     

    The Anambra native said he’s got assurances from voters in 2019 that they would vote for him when it was the turn of his region to take the mantle of the nation’s leadership.

     

    Nigeria has never had a president from the south east region, even though its Igbo population is one of the nation’s major three.

     

     

     

    Source: www.pulse.ng